Les – The Guy Who Attempts Optimism Until Reality Finally Kicks In.

[lesgeo]

Right, then. Here we go.
After a bit of lateral thinking, I reckon it genuinely possible that we can have a really good season in 2022/2023.

Three more games for the rapidly improving young uns against league opposition is the first step. Experience insufficient, as yet, but building nicely.

We do not need to go out and sign 15 players at horrific cost but we are going to need 6 players to form the core of a real team. These 6 will not always be fit and so we are going to need a couple of spares. These eight should contain two utility players, two forwards, two CBs and two others who are game-changers.

I am confident that, with a real structure, four or five of our youngsters can easily fill in the gaps. Tony Daws has done a fantastic job.
O’Malley and Rowe are shoo-ins. Moore-Bilham really looks the business and Cribb is not too far behind. Lewis is developing rapidly. (BTW – I still prefer Rowe as an FB.)

The problem is that, this season, undercooked young players have had to play alongside too much dead wood. I am chuffed silly that so many have got their heads down and scrapped. With the experience gained I genuinely feel excited. They will be better players – especially after the seriously tough pre-season I expect them to face.

There is a lot of money to be freed up during the clearout if these figures stand up to scrutiny:
https://salarysport.com/football/sky-bet-league-two/scunthorpe-united/

Can we bring in the eight I am suggesting? KH may well be able to do it – Cox was not up to the task.

I know many will scoff but – not that I care, of course – but we do have a starting point.

[mistertonmick]

so we are paying £3k a week for 3 players who don’t play while are fit because they are not in the managers plans.

[cassidystash]

Is that Bushmills inspired optimism les?

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Iron-awe

[mistertonmick]

I’ve been for a tour around Bushmills Cass, you would like the last bit going in the bar to try a few samples.
Beautiful Northern Ireland.

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lesgeo

[cassidystash]

I’m a bit of a saddo mick, don’t like whisk(e)y at all. It’s a ‘girlie’ G&T for me.(A mates description, not mine!)

[mistertonmick]

I’m not a spirits person either, a cheap one or something special they taste the same to me, but I did have a couple.

[lesgeo]

I’m on warfarin. (Negotiated two units a day with the consultant.)
One pint, typically equates to 300+ calories.
Two small Irish = 120.
No brainer for me. I do miss good beers but for me now – a very rare treat.

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mistertonmick

[Jasper Parrot]

Can’t believe these numbers. You’re right about youngsters though. Best chance is parachute payment plus loan written off plus new chairman puts some money in plus a big club makes us offer we can’t refuse for Cribb. Long shot.

[MK Iron]

3 or 4 long shots in 1 go there JP.

[MK Iron]

But we did have 1 shot on Monday and the Easter Bunny hit the jackpot.

[Ironawe]

Les this sounds like the last two season ends / build the experienced spine around some Iron youth.

My view is we cannot go into the NL with so many youngsters starting – it may destroy them and us at the same time. A rotation of no more than 2/3 from the youth team in the side. Some league experience and some
non league experience.

Key for me is more pace and width – most if not all the players in the past 2 years have lacked both. Pace and width usually entertains brings the fans back.

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North Lincolnshire Irons, Sharp_Shooter24, Deereyme66

[Deereyme66]

Agree with that IA. However we also desperately need a striker or two who are capable at this new level or we’re going to be faced with similar problems as this season. If that’s not addressed we’re in big trouble. That’s going to cost as they’ll realistically need to be L2 standard (I.e. Madden quality). Our glorious owner won’t fork out so that leaves us with little hope I’m afraid.

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North Lincolnshire Irons, Sharp_Shooter24, Ironawe

[Ironawe]

Agree, we must have been spoilt previously because we’ve had some fantastic strikers in the past. Not so much in the last 3/4 years (KVV aside)

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Deereyme66

[cassidystash]

Ironawe wrote:

Key for me is more pace and width – most if not all the players in the past 2 years have lacked both. Pace and width usually entertains brings the fans back.

I think that’s why we signed Devarn Green. He didn’t excite many, pace & width are OK but a few basic footballing skills also help. Lewis is a possible but playing him at LB won’t help his development & Sinclair occasionally showed enough, if he can add consistency. Again RWB didn’t rxactly play to his strengths.

[Awaywego]

Never agreed with blooding so many youngsters,, but now we have I believe it will stand them good stead the lows they must have felt losing league status, they won’t want to go anywhere near there again and should inspire them to work even harder.

[Just Iron]

I like your thinking,Les. A bit surprised that you missed out Gallimore from your ‘shoo in list’. He has coped ok playing at CB … but really looks the part in his true position at Centre Midfield. He’s a bit of a brute physically too which always helps and he ain’t gonna get smaller in the close season. I would put Gallimore, Rowe and O’Malley as potential regular starters and Moore-Bilham, Wilson and Lewis as not too far behind…. certainly squad standard. Not to forget Pugh who still fits the young ‘un category and has a fair bit of League experience. I’d like to see us try to keep Delaney and pair him with a solid CB who we’re prepared to pay decent wages to. Defensively I’d also shell out good wages to a versatile full back. After Saturday I’d definitely try to keep Feeney who was up there as a candidate for MOM. Lots of skill, looked interested and lasted the pace ok. I’d want us to pay good wages to a proven midfield general … a pity Grant is a couple of years too old. Its up front that we need to start from scratch. Invest any spare money/wages on two strikers who are the right age and have decent records at League Two/Nat league level. Maybe another winger if we cqn … is there a cut price Cleveland out there?

[lesgeo]

Agh. I’d forgotten Pugh.

[cassidystash]

I wish I could get as excited about these youngsters as others do. I’ve seen nothing that makes any of them a shoe in for next season, a hint of promise from a few of them but nothing more. Sorry.

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Sharp_Shooter24

[Cliff Byrne’s Right Peg]

Sorry Les- I can’t share your optimism.

It’s unfair to place the blame on the young uns stepping in- and by rights they should be playing at their own level- but apart from a few nice passages of play on Saturday they have been wholly inadequate; along with the rest of the team.

Moore-billam did well on Saturday but we are scraping the barrel to find any positives from this season. No-one looks like they could change a game.

We’ve sent a conveyor belt of young uns to Frickley, Scarborough, Guisley etc over the years and no-one seems to have been a stand out performer (happy to be corrected)

If we set up with these lads as the nucleus of our team next year I’m pretty confident we will be there or there abouts in the relegation spots.

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ironking, Ironawe, Sharp_Shooter24

[mistertonmick]

Moore-Billam played well but his shooting needs improving on.

[lesgeo]

Jai Rowe has developed in many ways and is hardly a newbie with 35 games under his belt – in the toughest of circumstances.
Mason O’Malley has more than 20 appearances – can be a little immature with positioning but after every half dozen games – you can see a marked improvement.
For me, provided we have decent CBs – I’m perfectly happy having them start the season as RB and LB.

[lesgeo]

And there’s more …

Others youngsters can come in as and when. There’ll certainly be some very good youngsters on the bench too.
Of course we need experience as well – but I’d rather go for eight than fifteen, as stated. Personally, I’d try to keep Delaney.

Aim to bring in the best and fittest we can possibly get. Unfit players and sicknotes are one of the biggest contributors to our relegation.
There will still almost certainly be leftovers such as Hallam, Feeney and probably Bunn about the place.
Gallimore, Lewis, Pugh and Cribb are all but ready to step up when needed – they have already outshone many of the wretched old sweats we’ve seen over this dismal year.

One of our most gigantic failures over the last decade has been shipping in youngsters from higher clubs on loan. It has rarely worked. Their minds are probably elsewhere. Hackney is a case in point – as was Wood, the Bournemouth set etc, etc.

Where on earth are we gonna find a brace of real strikers? – That, above all, is what could sink us.
I think Nuttall has something about him which will probably develop in a balanced side – after all, he has been starved of football for several years – but still must be a reserve striker at the start of the season. Surely.

[cassidystash]

I too am undecided about Nuttall. Lack of recent football has clearly been an issue but maybe the B&N main striker is not his best position, he doesn’t win many headers from the 80 yard ‘passes’ he gets. Could he flourish alongside a B&N?

[Northumbiron]

How many times have we said that since Torps left.

Not even sure if football academies produce B&Ns anymore.

[MK Iron]

Even in what has been a poor league 2 season quality of football wise I dont recall any team whose main tactic is hoofball to a big man.

Apart from us of course except we don’t have a big man and we don’t challenge for second balls.

The days of crazy gang and John Beck tactics are no more.

We might see it a bit more in the National League but in the half dozen or so games I have watched on BT the standard of football is alarmingly high.

[Northumbiron]

Spot on MK.

Gateshead are scoring for fun at the moment (10 in their last two games) without a B&N.

Width and pace, breaking quickly and getting men into the box.

And that’s NL(N)!

[lesgeo]

‘Width and pace, breaking quickly and getting men into the box.’
Sorry, NI. I don’t understand.
Wasn’t that sort of thing abolished three or four years ago?

[cassidystash]

Only at GP les.

[Ironawe]

Did somebody say pace energy excitement?

[Author]

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